Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle
Left to Right, Jeremy Clark, CEO Brookwood Baptist Health and Interim CEO with Shelby Baptist Medical Center; Andrew Gnann, President with Ascension St. Vincent’s Birmingham and Chilton; Dr. Jessica Borders and Brian Massey, Chief Advocacy Officer of Alabama with Ascension St. Vincent’s and the 2022 Chamber Chair
Jessica Palmer, owner of Eyes on Chelsea Vision Care, was named the Shelby County Healthcare Professional of the Year at the chamber luncheon on June 29.
“It is an honor to win this award and to be able to represent Chelsea and Shelby County among such accomplished peers,” Palmer said. “We are fortunate to have some wonderful medical providers in our community.”
The Chamber’s Health Services Work Group hosted the program, currently in its eighth year, to recognize individuals who have made an outstanding contribution in healthcare throughout our county and municipalities.
Nominees submitted information about their background, accomplishments, community impact, how they’ve improved the health of their patients, and why they choose a career in healthcare. The information received from each nominee was reviewed by three judges and the recipients were chosen.
Given that Shelby County is the healthiest county in the state, these professionals play an integral part in making that happen each year,” said Chamber Vice President Jordan Powell.
All 19 of the nominees were recognized during the program and four top awards were given. Winners of the four categories were:
- Committed to Community: Bailey Wellness Group – Dr. Dotti Bailey, DSW, LICSW, PIP, RYT-200, RCYT
- Legacy of Excellence: Central Alabama Wellness – Regina Mims, RN
- Heart of Healthcare: Premier Family Dentistry – Dr. Joseph Zanthos
- Healthcare Professional of the Year: Eyes on Chelsea – Dr. Jessica Palmer, O.D.
Other nominees included:
- Alabama Psychiatry – Stacy Stuart, CRNP
- Central Alabama Wellness – Richard Fallin, LPC
- Chiropractic Today – Dr. Irma Palmer
- Complete Women’s Care – Dr. Jessica Rodrigues
- Hayes Eye Center – Dr Robbie Hayes, O.D.
- MedsPLUS Consulting – Dr. Jennifer Campbell & Dr. Pauline Long
- OrthoSouth – Dr. Brandon Boggan
- Precision Chiropractic of AL – Dr. Marty Lovvorn
- PT Solutions Physical Therapy – Tommy Ponder
- SAV-A-LIFE Shelby, Inc. – Candace Nix
- Shaklee Corporation- Elise Hearn
- Southern Wellness – Dr. Becky Halechko M.D.
- Southern Wellness – Dr. Gayla Royer M.D.
- The FARM- Dr. Beau Beard
- Toothbud Dentistry – Dr. Beau Bradford
The program was held at the Grande Hall in Columbiana, and Dr. Allison Sullivan Chappell, a primary care physician with St. Vincent’s Primary Care in Greystone, spoke on being proactive for a healthy lifestyle.
“One of the reasons I wanted to go into family medicine was to promote healthy living and preventative medicine,” Chappell said.
She shared nine key factors to living a healthy lifestyle from the National Institute of Health that included: diet, exercise, study, application of modern technology, sexual behavior, substance abuse, recreation, medication abuse and sleep.
Chappell said many patients skipped routine medical care during the pandemic, and numbers have still not risen to where they were before 2020 and that correlates to many missed diagnoses.
She suggested that everyone have a primary care provider to help with their health management and prevention of diseases. They can also recommend what screenings are needed based on sex, age and health history.
“If we catch things early, we can get the patient treatment and prevent a life altering path,” Chappell said. “It’s such a foundational thing for you to have a primary care doctor that you trust and you can talk to be aware of. We want you to ask questions and be aware of what options are out there moving forward to help you achieve your health goals.”
